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Abstract:

A multi-tool assembly with retractable tape measure, collapsible right
angle square, straight edge arm with built-in razor blade knife and
protractor, complete with a set of three retractable screwdrivers, all
mounted in a single, compact, housing assembly.
The combination; straight edge arm and razor blade knife, locks into one
of several positions; to stay closed, to form into a carpenter's square
and to extend the razor blade knife. The arm can be manually opened or
spring powered to snap open like a switchblade when the release button is
activated. The thin razor blade cutting edge creates a knife that is much
sharper than ordinary pocket knives.
The set of screwdrivers are permanently mounted within the back of the
housing assembly. Each of the screwdrivers can be pivoted open to
protrude out from the back of the housing assembly, allowing each
screwdriver to be used individually.

Claims:

1) A, retractable tape measure, carpenter's square, protractor
combination assembly comprising: a housing assembly having two opposing
side walls, a front wall, a back wall, a top wall and a bottom wall,
spatially arranged to form distinct compartments, an extendable and
retractable ruled tape assembly coiled into a spool, complete with
refraction spring and spool brake assemblies, all contained within the
housing assembly, with one end of the ruled tape protruding out of a slot
in the front of said housing assembly, with a tape end tip fastened to
the end of the ruled tape to prevent the tape from being fully refracted,
an, openable and retractable straight edge blade arm with markings for
both length and angle measurement relative to the side wall of the
housing assembly, pivotably mounted within a compartment formed into the
bottom of the housing assembly, allowing the straight edge blade arm to
pivot open and protrude out from the housing assembly at varying angles
when the blade arm is manually opened, a spring powered locking mechanism
which forces the end of a cantilever locking spring against flat surfaces
and/or notches in the blade arm, to lock the blade into one of several
predetermined positions; one keeps the blade arm locked in the fully
closed or fully retracted position, another locks the straight edge blade
arm at 90 degrees relative to the side of the housing assembly to form a
small carpenter's square and another locks the blade arm in the fully
open position.

2) A, retractable tape measure, razor blade knife, carpenter's square,
protractor combination assembly comprising: a housing assembly having two
opposing side walls, a front wall, a back wall, a top wall and a bottom
wall, spatially arranged to form distinct compartments, an extendable and
retractable ruled tape assembly coiled into a spool, complete with
retraction spring and spool brake assemblies, all contained within the
housing assembly, with one end of the ruled tape protruding out of a slot
in the front of said housing assembly; with a tape end tip fastened to
the end of the ruled tape to prevent the tape from being fully retracted,
an, openable and retractable straight edge blade arm with integral,
sliding razor blade and markings for both length and angle measurement
relative to the side wall of the housing assembly, pivotably mounted
within a compartment formed into the bottom of the housing assembly,
allowing the straight edge blade arm to pivot open and protrude out from
the housing assembly at varying angles when the blade arm is manually
opened, a spring powered locking mechanism which forces the end of a
cantilever locking spring against flat surfaces and or notches in the
blade arm, to lock the blade into one of several predetermined positions;
one keeps the blade arm locked in the fully closed or fully retracted
position, another locks the straight edge blade arm at 90 degrees
relative to the side of the housing assembly to form a small carpenter's
square, and another locks the blade arm in the fully open position,
allowing the straight edge blade arm to be used as a cutting tool.

3) A, retractable tape measure, spring out carpenter's square and
protractor combination assembly comprising: a housing assembly having two
opposing side walls, a front wall, a back wall, a top wall and a bottom
wall, spatially arranged to form distinct compartments, an extendable and
retractable ruled tape assembly coiled into a spool, complete with
retraction spring and spool brake assemblies, all contained within the
housing assembly, with one end of the ruled tape protruding out of a slot
in the front of said housing assembly, with a tape end tip fastened to
the end of the ruled tape to prevent the tape from being fully retracted,
a spring powered, openable and retractable straight edge blade arm,
pivotably mounted within a compartment formed into the bottom of the
housing assembly, allowing the straight edge blade arm, to automatically
pivot open and protrude out from the housing assembly at various angles
when the blade arm actuator button is activated, a spring powered
blocking pin assembly, released by exerting a force on an actuator button
which exerts a force on the linkage and blocking pin assembly, biased to
force the blocking pin into the blade arm locking notches to lock the
blade into predetermined positions, one to keep the blade arm locked in
the closed or fully retracted position, another to lock the straight edge
blade arm at 90 degrees relative to the extended tape measure and side of
the housing assembly and another to lock the blade arm in the fully open
position,

4) A retractable tape measure, spring out carpenter's square with
integral razor blade knife and protractor combination assembly
comprising: a housing assembly having two opposing side walls, a front
wall, a back wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, spatially arranged to
form distinct compartments, an extendable and retractable ruled tape
assembly coiled into a spool, complete with retraction spring and spool
brake assemblies, all contained within the housing assembly, with one end
of the ruled tape protruding out of a slot in the front of said housing
assembly, with a tape end tip fastened to the end of the ruled tape to
prevent the tape from being fully retracted, a spring powered, openable
and retractable straight edge blade arm, with integral sliding razor
blade, pivotably mounted within a compartment formed into the bottom of
the housing assembly, allowing the straight edge blade arm, to
automatically pivot open and protrude out from the housing assembly at
varying angles when the blade arm actuator button is activated, a spring
powered blocking pin assembly, released by exerting a force on an
actuator button which exerts a force on the linkage and blocking pin
assembly, biased to force the blocking pin into the blade arm locking
notches to lock the blade into predetermined positions, one to keep the
blade arm locked in the closed or fully retracted position, another to
lock the straight edge blade arm at 90 degrees relative to the extended
tape measure and side of the housing assembly and another to lock the
blade arm in the fully open position, a razor blade slidably mounted
within the straight edge arm so that the razor can be manually slid to
fully sheath or partially expose the razor's cutting edge.

5) A retractable tape measure and screwdriver set combination assembly
comprising: a housing assembly having two opposing sides, a front, a
back, a top and a bottom, spatially arranged to form distinct
compartments, an extendable and retractable ruled tape assembly coiled
into a spool, complete with retraction spring and spool brake assemblies,
all contained within the housing assembly, with one end of the ruled tape
protruding out of a slot in the front of said housing assembly, with a
tape end tip fastened to the end of the ruled tape to prevent it from
being fully retracted, one or more screw drivers and/or file or saw
blades pivotably fastened to the housing assembly to allow each device to
individually pivot open and protrude out from housing assembly to be used
to drive a screw, pry things, file or saw.

6) A combination assembly according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, further
comprising one or more screw drivers and/or file/saw blades pivotably
fastened to the housing assembly to allow each device to individually
pivot open and protrude out from the back of the housing assembly to be
used to drive a screw, pry things, file or saw.

7) A combination assembly according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6,
further comprising a bubble vial with an air bubble in a liquid mounted
on the top of the housing assembly in a spatial plane parallel to the
bottom of the housing assembly.

8) A combination assembly according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7,
further comprising one or two small laser beam line markers, switch and
battery assembly to provide a virtual marker line(s) parallel to and/or
perpendicular to the extended tape measure and side walls of the housing
assembly. When the switch is activated, the laser lines mark a large line
or right angle square and are off when the switch is off.

9) A combination assembly according to claims 5, 6, 7 and 8, further
comprising of a file and/or miniature crescent wrench, scissors, pliers,
bottle opener, knife blade, nail cutter small scissors, pivotably mounted
to the back of the housing assembly in place of one or more of the
screwdrivers.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to retractable rule assemblies, razor blade
knives, protractors, right angle carpenter's squares, levels,
screwdrivers and multi-tools having a plurality of uses and attachments.
The current preferred embodiment of the invention includes a retractable
rule assembly coupled with a pivotably mounted straight edge arm which,
when opened, forms a carpenter's square with the housing assembly and the
extended rule assembly, with integral straight edge arm locking
mechanism, sheathed razor blade knife, wire stripper, protractor and a
set of screwdrivers pivotably mounted on the back of the housing
assembly. With all components of the tool locked in the fully closed
position, the current embodiment of the Razor Knife Tape Measure
Multi-tool is essentially the same size as a standard tape measure of
similar length. The high tensile steel razor blade knife creates an
extremely sharp cutting edge, much sharper than a traditional fold out
pocket knife.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Retractable tape measures, utility knives and screw drivers are
three of the world's most commonly used hand tools. Although there are
many variations in the design of these individual tools, the prior art is
well established for these devices. Prior art also includes examples of
many tools joined together into an army-knife like multi-tool, but often
the selection of the combined tools do not complement each other or the
form in which they are integrated is not practical or visually appealing,
The selection of combined tools and how they fit and work together is
fundamental to the design of the invention.

[0003] Normally, each of these devices come as separate, individual tools,
requiring the users to purchase, store and locate more than one tool to
do a variety of tasks. An object of the invention is to provide a
standard, high quality, retractable tape measure and extend its
usefulness and versatility by integrating additional devices into one,
compact, handheld tool.

[0004] Many people would find it beneficial to have these complimentary
tools permanently connected into one handy, lightweight multi-tool,
rather than use several, loose, individual tools. A multi-tool the same
basic size and shape as a standard tape measure, but which also
incorporated a sheathed razor blade knife, a right angle carpenter's
square, a protractor and a set of screwdrivers would greatly extend the
usefulness and versatility of an ordinary tape measure. Because the razor
blade is made from ultra-thin, high tensile steel, the cutting edge of
the razor knife is extremely sharp, sharper than a traditional pocket
knife.

[0005] The Razor Knife Tape Measure Multi-tool maintains the primary
function and quality of a modern, full size retractable tape measure and
adds the versatility of several additional tools into a single,
convenient, easily transported, handheld multi-tool. In the preferred
embodiment, the invention provides a single tool, the same basic size and
shape as a standard retractable, tape measure, to replace nine individual
tools; a retractable tape measure, a right angle carpenter's square, a
protractor, a utility knife, a wire stripper, a level and a set of three
screwdrivers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] Embodiments of the Razor Knife, Tape Measure Multi-tool will now be
further described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying
drawings, wherein;

[0007]FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the
invention with the ruled tape assembly partly extended, the straight edge
blade arm extended and locked in the right angle position with the set of
three screwdrivers partly extended.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a Side View Cross Section of the embodiment of FIG. 1
with the ruled tape assembly partly extended and the straight edge blade
arm and screwdrivers in the fully closed positions.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a Bottom View of the bottom of the housing assembly of
the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the ruled tape assembly partly extended and
the straight edge blade arm and screwdrivers in the fully closed
positions.

[0010]FIG. 4 is a Back View of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with the straight
edge arm and screwdrivers in the fully closed positions.

[0011]FIG. 5 is a Plan View Detail of the bottom side of the straight
edge blade arm of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 6 is a Plan View Detail of the upper or top side of the
straight edge blade arm of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 7 is a Plan View Detail of the straight edge blade arm locking
mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the upper and lower parts
of the straight edge blade arm.

[0014]FIG. 8 is a Bottom View Cross Section of the manual opening locking
mechanism of the straight edge blade arm of the embodiment of FIG. 1,
with the blade arm locked in the fully closed position.

[0015]FIG. 9 is a Bottom View Cross Section of the manual opening locking
mechanism of the straight edge blade arm of the embodiment of FIG. 1,
with the blade arm in a partially open position.

a housing assembly (1) having a front wall, a back wall, a top wall, a
bottom wall, one left wall and one right wall, attached together in a
specific spaced configuration which creates a distinct compartment for
each of the tool assemblies; a ruled tape spool (9) and spool retraction
assembly (24) with rule tape end lead extending through a slot in the
front face of the housing assembly where the rule tape end tip (10)
prevents the full retraction of the tape measure and incremental length
markings allow measurements to be made, including a ruled tape breaking
mechanism which, when not de-activated by the ruled tape brake actuator
button (12), creates friction between the breaking mechanism and the
ruled tape, thereby holding the ruled tape in a fixed position, a
retractable, straight edge blade arm (2) with integral length (21) and
angle measurement markings (22), sheathed razor blade knife (3) slidably
mounted between the upper (2b) and lower (2a) parts of the straight edge
blade arm (2) which when manually opened, or released by the blade arm
actuator button (6), pivots out and locks into one of the pre-set locking
notches; one locking notch locks the blade arm perpendicular to the ruled
tape to form a carpenter's square with the housing assembly, another
locks the blade arm in the fully open position which allows the blade arm
and razor to protrude out from the housing assembly like a knife blade
and another locks the blade arm in the fully closed position, a set of
retractable screwdrivers pivotably mounted on a screwdriver set pivot
post (20) such that each of the screwdrivers (4a, 4b and 4c) can be
swiveled out and used individually by pivoting them 90 degrees about the
pivot post (20) and are held in the closed and open position by friction
resistance acting on the base of each screw driver contacting the housing
assembly component in the fully open and fully retracted positions and an
air bubble in sealed liquid vial (5) mounted in the same spatial plane as
the bottom of the housing assembly and perpendicular to the spatial plane
of the back of the housing assembly so as to allow measurement of level
in both the vertical and horizontal planes.

[0017] The operation of the retractable, ruled tape spool (9) is driven by
the ruled tape retraction assembly that forces the ruled tape to
automatically retract into the housing assembly whenever the ruled tape
braking mechanism is not engaged.

[0018] The torque needed to retract the ruled tape scroll is provided by
means of a ruled tape recoil spring (24) which has one end fastened to a
static anchor point near the centre of the ruled tape scroll and the
other end fastened to the ruled tape. The housing assembly contains
scroll guides (23) which form a circular shape to contain the ruled tape
scroll and tape retraction assembly. A ruled tape end tip (10) with tip
magnets (11) permanently fastened to the tip, is slidably fastened to the
end of the ruled tape with two or more fasteners (19) in a such a manner
that the tip end is loose to move parallel to the axis of the extended
ruled tape, an amount equal to the thickness of the end tip and end tip
magnets, thereby allowing for accurate measurement when compressed in
against a surface and when pulled out against the outer edge of a
surface. Measurement markings are provided on the top surface of the
ruled tape to allow measurement of distance.

[0019] The ruled tape breaking mechanism is controlled by exerting a force
on the ruled tape brake actuator button to disengage the braking
mechanism. Prior Art contains many examples of suitable spool breaking
mechanisms. The braking mechanism exerts a force on the ruled tape,
causing friction to inhibit movement of the ruled tape, thereby locking
it in place. The tape brake actuator spring is biased to automatically
engage the braking mechanism.

[0020] The manually opening Razor Knife Tape Measure Multi-tool uses a
cantilever style blade arm lock spring (29) with a protruding dimple to
exert force against the flat surfaces and notches in the end of the
straight edge blade arm thereby locking the arm into one of several
predetermined positions.

[0021] The first notch (30a) locks the blade arm in the fully closed
position, another (30b) locks the blade arm at a 90 degree angle relative
to the side wall of the housing assembly and another (30c) locks the
blade arm into the fully open position.

[0022] The automatic, spring opening Razor Knife Tape Measure Multi-tool
opens when a force is exerted on the blade arm release actuator button
(6) slidably mounted on the side of the housing assembly exerting a force
through the brake assembly linkage (18) to disengage the blade arm
blocking pin (7) thereby releasing the straight edge blade arm which
pivots open in a spatial plane parallel to the plane of the bottom of the
assembly housing. The straight edge blade arm pivots about an axle
centerline and post (16) which is perpendicular to the plane of the
bottom of the housing assembly. The blade arm actuator button transfers
force through the blocking pin linkage assembly (18) which is connected
to the blocking pin (7) at one end, and to the blade arm actuator button
(6) at the other. When a force is exerted on the release button, the
brake assembly linkage transfers the force to the straight edge arm
blocking pin mechanism, thereby exerting a force against the actuator
return spring, pulling the blocking pin out of the closed position
holding notch and freeing the blade arm to pivot open under the power of
the blade arm spring (17).

[0023] Predetermined stop notches formed into the upper half of the
straight edge blade arm allow the blade arm to be locked in one of the
three predetermined positions; the fully closed position, the right angle
position and the fully open position. Additional notches may be added for
any selected angles within the full range.

[0024] When no force is exerted on the actuator button, the actuator
return spring forces the blocking pin towards the front of the housing
into one the holding notches (8) in the blade arm locking it into
position. When the straight edge blade arm is pushed into the fully
closed position, fully retracted into the main body of the housing
assembly, the closed position notch is automatically engaged to hold the
blade arm in the closed position. Stop notches have a specific tip shape
to ensure accurate alignment of the blocking mechanism.

[0025] On opening, the first position notch is set to lock the blade arm
into the closed position (8a), the second position notch (8b) locks the
blade arm into a 90 degree or right angle position relative to the side
wall of the housing assembly and to the extended ruled tape assembly.
Another locking position notch (8c) is provided to lock the blade arm
into a fully open position, approximately 170 degrees open, relative to
the blade arm's closed position (0 degrees), so that the razor blade
knife can be manually slid laterally into the open (unsheathed) position
and used to cut or score material.

[0026] The straight edge blade arm has both length and angle measurement
increment markings (21 & 22 respectively) to allow the blade arm to be
used as both a straight edge ruler and a protractor. Angle increments on
the straight edge arm are read with respect to the side of the housing
assembly. The blade arm has both an upper (2b) and lower side (2a), such
that a thin space is created between the upper and lower sides for the
razor blade to fit into. A slot (25) is formed through both sides of the
blade arm such that a standard razor blade can fit into the slot to hold
in place while still allowing it to slide laterally, parallel to the long
length of the blade arm. When moved to one end of the slot, closest to
the blade arm pivot point (16), the razor blade is fully sheathed within
the upper and lower parts of the straight edge blade arm.

[0027] When a force is manually exerted on the razor blade, it slides from
one end of the razor blade slot to the other allowing the user to choose
the amount the blade protrudes out. In the open position, a large portion
of the sharp edge of the razor blade protrudes from the blade arm
allowing the razor blade to be used as a cutting tool.

[0028] One side of the razor blade itself is permanently sheathed with a
thin, folded over, sheet metal cover, completely covering one of the two
sharpened cutting edges of the standard razor blade. The sheet metal
razor cover is sized to fit within the slot so that it is firmly held in
position, but can still slide easily back and forth along the length of
the razor blade slot. The razor blade, a standard, shaving type, razor
blade made of an extremely hard and thin metal material, such as high
tensile stainless steel, creates an extremely sharp cutting blade.

[0029] The larger slot in the upper part of the straight edge arm (25b)
allows the razor blade to be removed from the slot and replaced by
manually exerting a force perpendicular to the razor blade, thereby
bending the razor slightly upwards and removing the razor from the slot.
This allows a new razor blade to be inserted into the tool to replace the
original razor if it breaks of becomes dull. The back edge of the razor
blade cover may be contoured to provide a rough or interlocking surface
to facilitate holding it in position. A matching, rough or interlocking
surface may also be created on the inner edge of the slot such that the
razor blade cover engages with the rough or interlocking surface to
inhibit lateral movement of the razor blade when in use.

[0030] An indentation notch (15) is added to the straight edge arm, which,
at its maximum depth exposes a small part of the sheathed razor blade
allowing it to cut through electrical wire insulation, thereby acting as
a wire stripper. By varying the amount of blade exposure, number and size
of indentations, the wire stripping feature of the device can accommodate
different wire sizes. The razor blade stop (28) physically interferes
with the razor blade when attempting to close the blade arm without the
razor blade being fully sheathed. This safety feature prevents the blade
arm from being automatically opened with the blade exposed.

[0031] The preferred embodiment includes a set of three screw drivers
pivotably mounted at the back side of the housing assembly. An opening in
the housing assembly allows the retractable screw drivers to pivot about
an axle (20) such that each screwdriver can be extracted to protrude out
from the housing assembly and are held in the fully closed of fully open
positions by means of friction resistance between the base of each screw
driver and a flexible material within the housing assembly, in the fully
open and fully retracted position. By exerting a force on the
screwdrivers and creating a torque about the pivot axle, the friction is
overcome and each screwdriver pivots 90 degrees, from the fully closed
position, to the fully open position. The centerline of the screw driver
pivot point is perpendicular to the sides of the housing assembly.
Washers spaced between the screwdriver bits (26) accommodate movement
between screwdriver bits and can be used to enhance the screwdriver
locking ability. A flexible, elastic material (27) is built into the
housing assembly on two sides of the screwdriver pivot axle comes into
contact with the bottom ends of the screwdrivers to create friction to
hold the screwdrivers in place in the fully closed position and fully
open positions. When fully open, the screwdrivers extend out from the
back of the housing assembly so that they can be used as a screwdriver by
holding the housing assembly in one hand.

[0032] Another alternate assembly includes a bubble level vial (5) mounted
on the top of the housing assembly with the long axis of the vial
parallel to the spatial plane of the bottom of the housing assembly. The
long axis of the vial may also be perpendicular to the spatial plane of
the back side of the housing assembly allowing the single bubble vial to
measure both the horizontal level and vertical level by using the bottom
and back sides of the housing assembly respectively.